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Heard on Campus: Robert Shaler on preventing crimes

April 9, 2009

Heard on Campus: Robert Shaler on preventing crimes

"Burglars are recidivists. In other words, about 50 percent of the people who commit burglaries commit other burglaries. These people also commit more violent crimes, and so finding the people who do the burglaries prevents other kinds of crimes from being committed."

-- Robert Shaler, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and director of the Forensic Science Program at Penn State

Shaler hosted the fourth Research Unplugged conversation of the spring season on Wednesday, April 8. He discussed "Crime Scene Investigators: Weigh the Evidence" with an attentive group of colleagues and community members, including a group of 25 seventh-graders from Mt. Nittany Middle School, in the gallery of Penn State's Downtown Theatre. A full podcast of the event will be available on iTunesU and the "Research/Penn State" Web site at http://www.rps.psu.edu/ on Monday, April 13.

Research Unplugged is an informal lecture series hosted by Penn State's Office of Research Publications and held at noon Wednesdays in Penn State's Downtown Theatre Center. The afternoon begins with a brief introduction of the topic, followed by an open floor for questions, comments and discussion. The event is free to the public. Complimentary coffee and light refreshments are served. For information, visit http://www.rps.psu.edu/unplugged/.